No More Normal
Written by Ps Dev Menon
If you heard my sermon last week, I mentioned that I got angry with anyone who told me I must accept a ‘new normal’. However, after personally meditating on Psalm 90, I realized that this reaction was me not wanting to accept the loss of my old routines. I was grieving the loss of my lifestyle, and a big part of that was the form of church that we are all so used to…
As we begin to look forward post- circuit breaker and into phase 2, we must all accept that there is not going to be a ‘new normal’ either. Things will keep changing – and Covid-19 highlights the fact that change is the only constant in this world under God’s curse.
The government has permitted all religious organizations to carry out worship services of up to 50 persons per service, as well as classes and activities in smaller groups. Our leadership is taking some time to deliberate what this will mean for Zion Bishan and will inform the congregation in due course of our plans. Briefly, we hope to resume some form of worship services in the month of July.
However, this will mean that we will not go back to the familiar 8.30am and 10.30am English morning worship services. It is likely that we will have several services throughout Sunday – and perhaps on Saturday as well – and even then, that will not be able to accommodate our whole congregation every week. Livestream will still be the default, and each member may only be able to come for a physical service just once a month in July, together with your Cluster (via an e-booking system), to take Holy Communion together. In the month of August – this may change yet again depending on how the pandemic progresses or regresses, and so on and so forth…
This seems to be the end of stability and long-term plans for most events, activities, and religious routines for the rest of 2020, and perhaps well into 2021. We must be willing to adjust each time.
It will be a difficult and frustrating time for many – myself included. But in all this change, we must anchor ourselves firmly to our only Rock and Refuge, our only Safety and Security, our only Sanctuary – the Lord our God (Psalm 90:1-2). Otherwise all that will be left is complaint and despair.
In practical terms, please make sure you are part of an AG WhatsApp chat group or a Cluster ‘Non-AG’ WhatsApp group (which I have set up for each member who is not part of an AG). If you are not on any of these groups, please let me know (dev@zionbishan.org.sg) and I can add you to one. This will be the most reliable way to keep up to date of any news of what is happening in Zion Bishan – particularly in relation to the resumption of these smaller worship services.
